Centralized traffic controlling system for railroads



March 16, 1943. F. wfBRlxNl-:R 2,314,267

CENTRALIZED TRAFFIC CONTROLLING SYSTEM FOR RAILROADS v 'Filed Aug. `13, 1941 L tram* mw: Mdm

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ATTORNEY L NVT @Onur HH HH mwcwr w n @mju 3.8.23?? mczv \d. lv

nog zA @ad wlw/MQW@ Patented Mar. 16, 1943 CENTRALIZED TRAFFIC CONTROLLING SYSTEM FOR RAILROADS Frederick W. Brixner, Gates, N. Y., assignor to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester,

Application August 13, 1941, Serial No. 406,661

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to indication features of a centralized traffic controlling system of the code type, and more particularly toan audible signal for giving a momentary audible signal when any one of a large number of indicators manifests a change in traic conditions.

Centralized traffic controlling systems, as presently offered to the railroads, employ a miniature track layout in the central oilice or dispatchers ofce upon which'are displayed a large number of indicators, usually in the form of signal lamps, which manifest the condition of signals or of switches and the fact whether particular track sections are occupied or unoccupied. It is readily understood that when an operator or dispatcher is confronted with a large number of lamps, many of which are illuminated, and others of which are extinguished, it is difficult for him to observe when a change in the indicating conditions of his miniature track layout has taken place. For this reason it is desirable to give a momentary audible signal when a new signal is displayed or if desired when a formerly displayed signal is erased by the extinguishment of its lamp. In accordance with the present invention it is proposed to accomplish this result in an economical manner and by the employment of Very little additional apparatus. To accomplish'this result it is proposed to employ a polar contact of the usual polar mag-stick relay for controlling each of a plurality of indicating lamps byV connecting this polar contact in series with the Winding of its associated polar relay so that upon energization of and operation of the relay its initial energizing circuit is broken and a new circuit including or not including a source of current is established. If the new circuit includes a source of current it is used for completing the operation of the relay to its new position and to at least temporarily hold it there. It is also proposed to connect an indication relay in series with a common Wire common toa plurality of these initial circuits each including a polar contact of an indication relay and to include an audible signal device in this common wire.

Other objects, purposes and characteristic features of the present -invention will in part be described hereinafter and will in part be obvious from the accompanying drawing which shows the invention applied to a centralized trafc controlling system shown rather conventionally.

Structure type to which the present invention is particularly applicable the oflice coding apparatus and eld coding apparatus have been shown rather conventionally by dotted rectangles. These cod- .ing apparatuses are more specically disclosed in the prior patent to Judge et al. No. 2,082,544, granted June l, 1937, to which attention is directed. The left-hand portion of the drawing of this application shows the apparatus located in the control oflice and corresponds in many respects to the oice apparatus shown in Fig. 6 of said Judge et al. patent, and the apparatus shown .at the extreme right in applicants drawing corresponds in many respects to the ield station apparatus shown in Fig. 3 of said Judge et al. patent. Referring to the office apparatus the indicating lamp OS and the contact 232 of the indicating relay IRB controlling said indicating lamp correspond to like devices shown in Fig. 6 of the Judge et al. patent and identified by like reference characters. This indicating relay IRB is controlled through a front contact 23| of a station registration relay 2ST and is further co-ntrolled through a front contact 2|I of a stepping relay 3V, a front contact 208 of a line repeating relay FP and through a contact 2I of an impulse repeating relay MB each of which relays and contacts is 'also disclosed in Fig. 6 of said Judge et al. patent and identied .by like reference characters. This indicating lamp OS has been shown on a miniature track layout including a miniature track switchts which corresponds to the miniature track layout of Fig. 6 oi the Judge et al. patent, except for the direction in which the points of the miniature track switch are directed, and has been designated by like reference characters. In addition to the devices just described, and illustrated in the Judge et al. patent, there has lalso been illustrated a fourth stepping relay 4V `having a contact 30'9 which obviouslydoes not change the code type selector system materially.

Instead of terminating the control circuit for `the indication relay IRB at the opposite termi-nal ,stationary contacts with which the movable contact MbI cooperates being connected to two bus lines', one of which leads to the mid-point of the battery B, whereas the other passes through the winding of a bell ringing relay BRI and terminates at the minus terminal of the .battery B. The bell ringing relay BRI has its Winding shunted by a half-wave rectifier RI in order to render this relay extremely slow dropping. As illustrated this rectifier RI is so poled in the shunt circuit around the relay BRI that energizing current derived from the battery B cannot ow through the rectifier RI and will instead iiow through the bell ringing relay BRI, but the inductive-kick current which flows upon sudden interruption of the energizing circuit is permitted to flow in a local circuit through this relay and the rectier RI in series. The audible signal may, of course, be of any suitable construction, such as an electrically operated valve controlled whistle or a bell, and for convenience a bell BLI which is connected in series with a fro-nt contact 300 of the bell ringing relay BRI has been illustrated. Additional indication relays 2RB, 3RB and' IRB controlled respectively through front contacts 39|, 392 and 393 of the station registering relayv 2ST have also been illustrated. These indication relays ZRB, 3RB and 4RB are provided with make-before-break contacts Mo2, Mb3 and M214, respectively. These indication relays ZRB, BRB and IIRB are also provided with indication contacts 304, 395 and 396 which control the signal indicating lamp LGS, the reverse switch indication lamp LR and the normal switch indication lamp LN.

The indicating relays IRB, ZRB, SRB and RB are each a relay of the two-position polar magstick type such as is disclosed in the patent to Hailes et al. No. 1,929,094 granted October 3, 1933. This relay is biased by a spring 40 to its normal position, but if once actuated by energization of its winding by current of one polarity to its actuated position it is held there by magnetism derived from permanent magnet I3 (Hailes et al. patent). Obviously the contacts 25, 26 and 2 of this Hailes et al. relay, when employed in the system of the present invention, may be adjusted to constitute make-before-break contacts or may be adjusted to constitute break-beforemake contacts, as desired, and as required. Momentary energization of the winding of the magstick relay bycurrent of the opposite polarity will quickly cause the armature of the relay to release to a position where this permanent magnet can no longer attract the armature by a force in excess ofl that of the spring lll and the armature will release. From the foregoing it is readily understood that for release of the armature current of said opposite polarity need only be present until movement of the armature has started, whereas for actuation of the armature to its attracted position current of said one polarity must be present until the armature has been moved fully into the attracted position. By referring to the drawing of this application it will be seen that upon movement of the makebefore-break contacts Mb of a relay RB from left to right due to the contact 2l@ of impulse repeating relay MB being in its attracted position, when the proper channel circuit is closed, causes current derived from all of the cells of battery B to flow through the indicating relay IRB, assuming thechannel through front contact 2 I I' of relay 3V was closed, and bell ringing relay BRI in series until the make-before-break contact has moved beyond the middle position, after which current derived from half of the cells of the battery B flows through a second circuit including the relay IRB and not including the relay BRI until the transmitted code impulse ceases. Also, the transmission of a second code impulse of the same polarity through the channel including the relay IRB flows through this same second circuit and therefore will not cause the alarm to be sounded. This flow of current is of course discontinued when the contact 20B of line repeating relay FP opens, namely, just before the next stepping relay V picks up. However, upon energization of the winding of an indicating relay RB by current of said opposite polarity due to the contact 2I0 of impulse repeating relay MB assuming its retracted position, the proper channel circuit being assumed to be closed, causes current from half of the cells of battery B to flow and only until the make-before-break contact Mb is moved to the middle position after which the winding of such relay RB will be shunted by a circuit beginning and ending at the terminal minus of the battery B and readily traced in the drawing. This latter current does not flow through relay BRI however and the audible signal is therefore not sounded. In other words, indication impulses for a particular indication relay RB derived from front contact 2I0 of relay MB in succession sound the audible signal only once and the indication impulses derived from back contact 2I0 of relay MB never sound the audible signal.

Referring now to the rightehand portion of the drawing attention is directed to the fact that the apparatus there illustrated corresponds in many respects to the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 of the Judge et al patent, the switch points of the track TS of the Judge et al. patent however pointing toward the west whereas the corresponding switch points in the track switch TS of applicants disclosure point toward the east. The field coding apparatus shown in the Judge et al. patent has for convenience been omitted insofar as a specific disclosure is concerned, this apparatus however being conventionally illustrated by a dotted rectangle designated field coding apparatus in a similar manner as like apparatus in the control oflice has been illustrated by a dotted rectangle designated control office coding apparatus. The detector track circuit including the track relay T has been isolated from the adjacent tracksections by insulating joints 5 so that this track relay T drops only if the following track section is occupied. As illustrated, west-.bound traffic over the track switch TS is governedby the main signal I and the take siding signal IA, whereas east-bound traflic olifv the main track over the` track switch TS is governed by a head block signal 2 and off ofthe siding by a siding signal 2A. The track relay T is provided with a back indicating contact |92v for controlling the signal lamp OS in the central oliice and with a system initiating contact 2| and this track relay and its associated contacts have been designated by like reference characters as like parts disclosed in Fig. 3 of the Judge et a1 patent. A signal-at-stop. relay M which is energized only when all of the signals I., I'A, 2 and 2A arev atr stop has also been p rovided. This signal-at-stop relayM hasy also been illustrated in Fig. 3 ofthe Judge et. al. patent and is provided with a back contact 2.6i, for controlling the signal lamp, LGS in the central office and with a system initiating contact 20 in both of these disclosures. The change rela-yCHl` illustrated in Fig.` 3 ofthe Judge et al. patentv and controlled through contactsl 29 and ZIv of the relays M and T, respectively, has also been illustrated in the drawing of this application. These contacts 2l) and 2li cause de energization of the change relay-C111V each time a change in the vacteristic of this relay BRI.

position of the track relay T and the signal-at# stop relay M takes place. A similar contact 320 controlled by the switch-box apparatus has also been illustrated, this contact 320 dropping the 4relay CI-I1 and initiating the coding apparatus Let us assume that an east-bound train mov- 4ing from left to right on the main track is about to accept the signal 2. As this train moves by the signal 2 it causes shunting and deenergization of the track relay T. Dropping of the track relay T causes a momentary break in the energizing stick circuit of the change relay CH1 and causes deenergization of this relay CHl. The dropping of the change relay CH1 by the closure of back contact |54 of4 this relay causes initiation and operation of the selector apparatus all in a manner as described in the Judge et al. patent above referred to. Operation of the eld coding. ap-

paratus and control oice coding apparatus causes the station registering relay 2ST to be energized. Upon picking up of the third stepping relay 3V, the closure of front contact 2 I0 of the impulse repeating relay MB, which is closed by reason of the fact that the back contact |92 of the track relay T is now closed. Also by reason of the fact that stepping relay 3V has picked up and stepping relay 4V has not yet picked up, an energizing channel circuit for the indication relay IRB is closed which may be traced as follows: beginning at the terminal (-1-) of the battery B, front contact 2 I 0 of the impulse repeating relay MB, front contact 208 of the line repeating relay FP, back contact 309 of the stepping relay 4V, front contact 2|| of the stepping relay 3V, front contact 23| of the station registering relay 2ST, winding of the indicating relay IRB, makebefore-break polar contact MDI, winding of the Abell ringing relay BRI, back to the other terminal of the battery-B. Momentary energization of the circuit just traced causes the makebefore-break contact Mb| of the indicating relay IRB to be moved from its left-hand to its righthand position, the bell ringing relay BRI being energized only during the 'time that it takes for the indicating relay IRB to operate from its lefthand to its middle position and dropping a short time thereafter due to the slow dropping char- During this short time the audible signed BL| is sounded. As this make-before-break contact Mbl moves beyond its middle position a holding circuit for the indicating relayIRB is closed which may be traced from the terminal (-1-), through contacts 2H), 208, S, 2|| and 23|, the Winding of the relay IRB and the make-before-break contact Mbl thereof assuming its right-hand position and back to the mid-pointof the battery B. This holding circuit is only closed for a very short period of time because it is opened by opening of the front contact 208 of relay FP and back contact 309 of the stepping relay 4V upon the selector apparatus taking its next step.`r This, so-

called, holding circuit is primarily used to continue operation of the relay IRB from its middle to its right-hand position against the tension of spring 40 and is not really necessary to hold the relay in its operated position, because the relay IRB is a mag-stick relay which remains in the last position to which it was .operated for reasons above explained. It is readily seen thatthis holding circuit is momentarily energized for each subsequent transmission of a track occupancy indication, assuming no transmission of an intervening track-clear indication, Without the sounding of the audible signal. It is thus seen that the bell ringing relay BRI is momentarily energized as the indicating reay IRB is operated from its left-hand to its right-hand position. Since this bell ringing relay BRI is very slow dropping its contact 300 will remain closed long enough to cause adequate energization and sounding of the audible signal BL|. The audible signal BL| is similarly sounded through the lmake-before-break Contact MBZ when a similar change in the position of the signal-at-stop relay M takes place. Also, this audible signal BL| is sounded'by like apparatus each time that the track switch TS is operated to a new position. This is accomplished through the medium ofthe indicating relays SRB and GRB.

Let us now assume that the train in question has passed the signal 2 and that the rearend of this train has passed entirely oi of the detector track circuit containing the track relay T so that the track relay T again assumes its energized position. The change relay CI-Il was picked up upon the completion of the cycle which transmitted the last preceding indication. In the same manner as pointed out hereinbefore opertion of the contact 2| from its retracted to its attracted position causes dropping of the change relay CI-I1 and initiation of the eld coding apparatus and in turn the code communicating apparatus. During the cycle of operation of the system and with the track relay T now energized, as has been assumed, the impulse repeating relay MB in the control office will assume its deener- -gized position at the moment when the stepping relay 3V is in its energized position so that current may momentarily flow from the minus terminal of the battery B, through the back contact 2I0 of the relay B, through the front contact 208 of the line repeating relay FP, back contact 309 ofthe stepping relay 4V, front contact 2 of the stepping relay 3V, and front contact 23| of the station registering relay 2ST, through the Winding of the indicating relay IRB, and its make-before-break contact Mbl assuming its right-hand position, to the mid-point of thel battery B. The completion of this circuit will without sounding the audible signal cause the makebefore-break contact Mbl to be operated to its left-hand position to an extent where thepermanent magnet (not shown) of this relay IRB can no longer hold the armature against the ten'- sion of spring 40. In this position of this relay another circuit is closed which includes the contact Mbl assuming its left-hand position and the contact 2|0 of the impulse repeating' relay MB assuming its retracted position. This latter circuit is a deenergized circuit and is. merely incidental and is made in preparation for the next control circuit to be closed.

The applicant has thus provided an audible signal which may be sounded when any one of a large 'number of visual signals is changed, this audible signal sounding only momentarily when one" of a plurality of changes of the signal indications on the miniature track? layout takes' place. For example, an audible signal is given when an occupancy indication isY transmitted' and not if a second occupancy indication of the same track stretch is transmitted without the transmission of an intervening track-clearV indication for this same stretch. Although only one embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated it is desired to be understood that thev particular embodiment chosen has been selected merely to disclose the underlying principles of the invention and the manner in which new functions may be carried out and does not exhaust all forms the' present invention may take and it is'- desired to` be understood that various changes, modications and additions may be made, as' required in practicing the present invention, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention except as demanded by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. In combination, an indication polar relay of the magnetic stick type which if energized by current of one polarity will assume one polar position and remain there even though thereafter deenergized and which if energized by current of the opposite polarity will assume the other polar postion and remain there even though thereafter -deenergized, an audible signal relay', a double-throw contact for said polar relay closed in one position when said polar rel-ay assumes one polar position and'. closed in the other position when said' polar relay assu-mes its other polar `position and when assuming said one position connecting saidV polar relay in series in a circuit with said audible signal' relay andV a source of current and when assuming said other position connecting said polar relay in series in a circuit excluding said audible signal but including a source of current, and means for momentarily energizing said circuits from said sources by currents of one' or the other polarity depending on` the Aposition assumed by a movable device;

2; In combination, a movable device, apolar indication relay for said movable device, means for connecting' one terminal of said Dolar relay momentarily to one or another' polar terminal of a source of current depending on whether its. associated movable device has been; moved to one or the other of two operated positions, a contact for said polar relay operated to one position or the other depending on the polarity of current applied to said one terminal of said polar indi.- cation relay providing the other terminal of said polar indication relay is then connected to an opposite terminal of said source of. current, said contact for said polar relay connecting saidother terminal of said polar relay through the medium of two wires to one or another of terminals of saidl source of current, and an audible signal means included in series in one of said wires.

3. In combination, a plurality of movable devices, a polar indication relay for each. movable device, means for connecting one termi-nal of each polar relay momentarily to one oranother polar terminal of a source of current depending on whether its associated movable device assumes one or the other of two operated positions, a make-before-break Contact for each polar relay operated to one position or the other depending on; the polarity of current applied to' saidV one terminal of said polar indictaion relay providing the other terminal of' said polar indication relay is then connected to an opposite terimnal of said sourceof current,- said Contact for each polar relayconnecting in overlapped' relation said other terminal of said polar relay through the medium of two wires to one or another of terminals` of said source of. current in a manner to make the connection to the secondV wire' before' the `cornicetion to the rst wire is broken, and anaudible signal` means' included in seriesin one of said wires.

a.. In combination, a movable device, a l.polar vindication relay for said movable device, means for connecting one terminal of said polar indication relay momentarily' to one or another polar terminal of a source of current depending on whether its associated movable device has been moved to one or the other of two operated positions, a contact for said polar relay operated to one position or the other depending on the apolarity of current applied to said one terminal of said polar indication relay providing the other terminal of said polar indication relay is then connected to an. opposite terminal of said source of current, said contact for said polar relay connectingv saidv other terminal of said polar relay through the medium of two wires to one' or another of terminals of said' source of current, a slow dropping relay4 included in series in one of said wires, and an audible signal included in a circuit in series with a front contact of said slow dropping relay.

5. In combination, a' movable device, a lpolar indication relay for said movable device, means for connecting one terminal of said polar relay momentarily to one or another polar-terminal of a source of current depending on Whether its `associated movable device has been moved to one or the other of two operated positions, a make-before-break contact for said polar relay operated to one position orv the other `depending on the polarity of' current applied to said' one terminal of said polar relay providing the other terminal of said polar indication relay is then connected to an opposite terminal of said source of current, said contact for said polar relay connecting in overlapped relation said other terminal of said 'polar relay through the medium ci two wires -to one or another of terminals of said source of current in a manner to make the connection to the second wireY before theconnection to the first wire is broken, a slow dropping relay included in series in one of said wires, and an audiblesignal included in series with a front contact of said slow dropping relay.

6. In combination, a polar indication relay having a movable contact which is operated in engagement with one stationary contact when energized by current of one polarity andl in engagement with another stationary contact when energized by current of the opposite polarity and which will remain in the last operated position when dee'nergized, said movable contact engaging both of said sttaion'ary contacts temporarily during its' movement from one position to another, two' control circuits for operating said relay to its Itwo positions onel including said movable contact and one stationary contact and the other circuit including said movable contact and said another stationary contact, audible' signal means included in series in one of said circuits, and means controlled from a remote point for energizing said circuits by currents of polarities to loperate the relay away from the position which it assumed before such energization..

7. In combinatiomaJ polar indication relay having a movable contact which is operated in engagement with one stationary contact when energized by current of one polarity and in engagement with another stationary 'contact when energized by current of the opposite polarity and which will remain in the last operated position when deenergized, said movable contact engaging both of said stationary contacts temporarily during its movement from one position to another, two control circuits for operating said relay to its two positions one including said movable contact and one stationary contact and the other circuit including said movable contact and said another stationary Contact, audible signal means included in series in one of said circuits, means controlled from a remote point for energizing said circuits by currents of polarities to operate the relay away from the positions which it assumed before such energization, and a holding circuit also including said movable and one of said stationary contacts but not including said audible signal means which holding circuit when energized will retain said indication relay in its operated position, whereby said audible signal is momentarily sounded for each energization of said one of said control circuits but is not sounded upon energization of said holding circuit.

8. A combined visual and audible indicating system, a selector type communicating system transmitting by momentary impulses the condition of a movable device, a two position relay for visually indicating the position of said movable device, circuits for actuating said relay to one position or the other in accordance with the character of the momentary impulse transmitted characterizing the position of said device one of said circuits being an actuating circuit for operating said relay to said one of its two positions and the other circuit being an actuating circuit for operating said relay to said other position, means for opening the actuating circuit for actuating said relay to said one position when such relay has assumed said one position, and an audible signal included in series in said circuit for actuating said relay to one position but not in said circuit for actuating said relay to said other position, whereby said audible signal is sounded when said relay is actuated to said one position only and is not sounded upon the subsequent transmission of an impulse characterizing said one position until said relay again assumes said other position.

9. A combined visual and audible indicating system, a selector type communicating system transmitting by momentary impulses the condition of a movable device, a two position relay for manifesting the position assumed by said movable device, circuits for actuating said relay to one position or the other in accordance with the character of the momentary impulse transmitted, an audible signal means included in series in said actuating circuit for actuating said relay to one position but not included in said circuit for actuating said relay to said other position, and a holding circuit for said relay for holding said relay in said one position and excluding said audible signal.

10. A combined visual and audible indicating system, a selector type communicating system transmitting by momentary impulses the condition of a movable device, a two position relay for said movable device, a two position control contact momentarily connected to said two position relay during each transmission of an impulse characterizing the position of said device and operated to a position depending upon the character lof such impulse; an audible signal means; and three energizing circuits for said two position relay each including a source of current which may be closed during the transmission of an impulse and of which the first is closed when said control contact assumes one position and said relay assumes its normal position and including said audible signal means, the second of which is closed when said control contact assumes said one position and said relay assumes its abnormal position and excluding said audible signal means, and the third circuit of which is closed when said control contact assumes another position and said relay assumes its abnormal position and excluding said audible signal means, said circuits acting upon said relay to cause it to be operated to its abnormal position and to sound said audible signal means when said rst circuit is closed, to hold it in its abnormal position without sounding said audible signal when said second circuit is closed and to operate it to its normal position without sounding said audible signal means when said third circuit is closed.

11. A combined visual and audible indicating system, a selector type communicating system transmitting by momentary impulses the condition of a movable device, a two position polar relay for said movable device, a two position control contact momentarily connected to saidv two position polar relay during each transmission of an impulse and operated to a position depending upon the character of such impulse; an audible signal means; and three energizing circuits for said relay which may be closed during the transmission of an impulse and of which the first includes a source of current of one polarity, said control contact assuming one position, said audible signal means and closed when said relay assumes its normal poition, the second of which includes said control contact assuming said one position a source of current of said one polarity and closed when said relay assumes its abnormal position and excluding said audible signal means, and the third circuit of which includes said control contact assuming another position, a source of current of the opposite polarity and excluding said audible signal means and closed when said relay assumes its abnormal position, whereby said audible signal is only sounded when said relay is being operated to its abnormal position.

FREDERICK W. BRHCNER. 

